1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a function for detecting originals containing specific patterns of monochromatic or color images, and also to a copying machine having such an image processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, copying machines are available which can produce color copies of extremely high quality, and this has given a rise to the demand for prevention of forgery of bills, securities and other valuable papers. To cope with this demand, it has been proposed to adopt pattern matching techniques in copying machines to detect and reject any original which should not be copied. In such a technique, the image pattern of the original input to a copying machine, after correction for any inclination in the orientation of the original, is compared with image patterns which have been registered in the machine, for the purpose of recognition and evaluation of matching of the pattern.
Image processing apparatus incorporated in known copying machines of the type described, however, does not have any means for deciding the state of the image recognition function. Therefore, when, for example, the image recognition function and the image processing apparatus are formed on different circuit boards, it is rather easy to demount the circuit board carrying the image recognition function, so that the copying machine performs the ordinary copying operation even when the original is a specific one which should not be copied. This undesirably allows easy forgery of papers such as bills and securities.
Under these circumstances, the assignee of the present invention has proposed techniques in which each copy is provided with information which indicates the fact that the copy is a copy and not an original.
One such techniques is to combine a specific code or a pattern with the output image. This technique employs a function for storing a specific pattern to be added and a function for combining the pattern with the output image. In a copy produced by this technique, the specific pattern is combined with the output image by a color tone or density which is not so noticeable to human eyes but is discriminatable by a specific technique.
In this type of color copying machine, there is no means for preventing replacement of the parts carrying the pattern storage and combining functions with a part which does not have such functions. After such replacement, the pattern is not added to the output image, so that forgery can easily be done by using the copying machine.
Furthermore, since the pattern is fixedly stored in such a manner as not to be changed, it is not possible for persons such as service personnel to set different patterns on different machines to enable identification of the machine from the copy produced by the machine.
The assignee of the present invention also has proposed a method for preventing illegal copying of bills, securities and so forth which is a critical problem noticed in recent years due to the high reproducibility of original images offered by current copying machines. According to this method, data concerning specific originals such as bills and securities are beforehand stored in terms of color space. Any original set on the copying machine is rejected when this original exhibits the same distribution of data in the color space as that of one of the above-mentioned specific originals. However, known copying machines realizing such forgery prevention method do not have functions for storing data concerning illegal use of the machine, e.g., type of the original illegally copied, type of the input device and identification of the operator who made such illegal use of the machine, nor a function for informing an administrator of the fact that the copying machine has been used illegally for the purpose of copying bills or the like.
Consequently, there is no means for keeping control over the copying machine against illegal copying, particularly when the copying machine is set at a place where there is no person other than the illegal user.
As explained before, various methods have been proposed for the purpose of enabling recognition of specific originals of the kind described.
In all the proposed methods, however, the image recognition is performed by an independent circuit. Therefore, it is not impossible for those who are familiar with this type of machine to modify the machine so as to enable illegal copying of bills or the like, by demounting the circuit board carrying the image recognition function.
Full-color copying machines also have been proposed in which identification information such as the serial number of the machine is added to the copy produced by the machine. Such information is given in the form of a mark of light yellow color or specific binary pattern.
All these known copying machines, however, are still unsatisfactory in that they permit easy demounting of the image recognition or detection function, due to the fact that such a function is performed by a single circuit board which is not difficult to demount.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying machine, which can overcome the above-described problems of the known art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying apparatus, wherein the apparatus itself can examine the state of the function for recognizing specific original patterns, thereby to prevent illegal copying of such specific originals.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying machine, which enables free setting of pattern data to be combined with the output copy image, thus enabling identification of the copying machine by which any illegal copying was conducted.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying machine, which prohibits copying operation when a pattern data set in the apparatus has been lost, thereby to prevent disabling of the anti-forgery function caused by absence of such pattern data.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying machine, which enables a check by a service man or an administrator for any disabling or invalidation of anti-forgery function, thus ensuring administration of the machine against illegal use such as forgery.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying machine, which is constructed so as not to allow removal of the forgery detecting function.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, as well as a copying machine, which is constructed to make it difficult to remove a circuit for adding machine identification information.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: processing means for processing input image signals; connecting means for connecting a preventing means for preventing someone from copying a predetermined original; detecting means for detecting a state of connection between said connecting means and said preventing means; and control means for controlling the apparatus in accordance with the result of the detection made by said detecting means.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: processing means for processing input image signals; connecting means for connecting a deciding means for deciding similarity between an image represented by said input image signals and an image of a specific original; detecting means for detecting a state of connection between said connecting means and said deciding means; and control means for controlling the apparatus in accordance with the result of the detection made by said detecting means.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus having image processing means for effecting a predetermined image processing on an input image data, comprising: connecting means for connecting a pattern data generating means for generating pattern data for identifying the copying apparatus; synthesizing means for synthesizing said pattern data with said input image data; image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium in accordance with the synthesized image data; and control means for prohibiting formation of the image by said image forming means when said pattern data generating means is not connected with said connecting means.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: input means for inputting image signals; deciding means for deciding whether an image represented by the image signal input through said input means contains an image corresponding to a predetermined specific original; memory means for storing the result of the decision made by said deciding means; and transmitting means for transmitting the result stored in said memory means to an external device.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: deciding means for deciding whether an image represented by input image signals contain an image corresponding to a predetermined specific original; memory means for storing a plurality of sectioned decision results obtained as a result of the decision; and transmitting means for transmitting the results stored in said memory means.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: input means for inputting image signals; deciding means for deciding whether an image represented by the image signals input through said input means contain an image corresponding to a specific original; and memory means for storing the results of the decision made by said deciding means together with other types of information.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: image signal processing means for processing image signals for the purpose of image reproduction; deciding means for deciding degree of similarity between an image represented by said image signals and an image of a specific original; and altering means for altering the content of the processing performed by said image signal processing means, in accordance with a degree of similarity decided by said deciding means; wherein at least a part of said image signal processing means and at least a part of said image deciding means are formed as one unit with each other.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, comprising: deciding means for deciding whether a specific original is being copied; and processing means for performing a printing process; wherein at least a part of said deciding means and at least a part of said processing means are constructed as one unit with each other.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: image processing means for obtaining density signals from input image signals; and adding means for adding a predetermined pattern to an image represented by said density signals obtained by said image processing mans; wherein at least a part of said image processing means and said adding means are formed on a common printed board.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, comprising: image processing means for obtaining density signals from input image signals; and adding means for adding a predetermined pattern to an image represented by said density signals obtained by said image processing mans; wherein at least a part of said image processing means and said adding means are formed on a common printed board.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, comprising: image processing means for obtaining density signals from input image signals; binarizing means for binary-coding the density signals obtained by said image processing means; and adding means for adding a predetermined pattern to an image represented by the binary-coded signals; wherein said binarizing means and said adding means are formed on a common circuit board.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, comprising: image processing means for obtaining density signals from input image signals; binarizing means for binary-coding the density signals obtained by said-image processing means; and adding means for adding a predetermined pattern to an image represented by the binary-coded signals; wherein said binarizing means and said adding means are formed on a common circuit board.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor chip, comprising: input terminal for inputting image data; decision circuit for deciding whether the image data represents a predetermined image; processing circuit for processing the image data for a reproduction; and output terminal for outputting the diciding result of said decision circuit and the processed image data.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor chip, comprising: input terminal for inputting image data; generating circuit for generating a pattern data representing a predetermined pattern for identifying an apparatus for which the semiconductor chip is applied; processing means for synthesizing the pattern data with the input image data; and output terminal for outputting the synthesized image data.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of preferred embodiments, as well as from the statement of claims, when the same are read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.